Process for impregnating living trees



Patented Dec. 1,1925.

UNITED STATES CARL SCEMITTUTZg 0]? BAD KISSINGEN, GERMANY PROCESS FOR IHPREGNATING LIVING TREES.

No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CARL SCHMITTUTZ, engineer, citizen of the German Republic, residing at Bad Kissingen, county of Bavaria, and State of Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes for impregnating Living Trees, of which the following is a specification.

My said invention relates to a method of impregnating living trees with materials such as are used for example for dyeing or 1 for preservation of wood. By the term impregnation it is intended to include satura-- tion, regardless of the specific purpose of such operation. It has heretofore been proposed to saturate the wood of a living tree for purposes of conservation as well as for dyeing the wood but the effects have not been satisfactory for the reason that the methods heretofore proposed require an undue length of time so that the tree is dead' before the required degree of saturation is reached. Another drawback so far as dyeing wood is concerned arises from the fact that'the distribution has not been uniform over the whole cross section of the trunk.

My method oi impregnation involves the use of impregnation liquid under a higher pressure than the natural pressure of the sap so that the natural sa of the tree is forced out of the same, an the keeping-up of a continuous flow of the impregnating liquid throughout the whole trunk until it emerges in the formof a. spray at points where the bark is broken';..for example, at

the ends of branches which have been cut ofi or at points on the trunk where the bark has been injured. This method of impregnation provides for completion of the proce$ in much less time than has heretofore been necessary and also provides for.

depositing in the wood a much larger quantity of the impregnating substance. It is also ossible to impregnate only certain parts 0 the tree, if desired, outlets bein :provided only on'such parts as are intende to be impregnated. .As, a. rule the purpose is to preserye the wood of the trunk and in such case the crownof the tree is cutoif and liquid is forced into the trunk under a pressure of from six to ten atmospheresu points where the bark is broken, as where.

the'crown of the tree has been out ofi or Application filed October 11, 1,924. Serial No. 743,( l97.

where branches have been removed, or the bark has been abraded. After-such flow of sap has continued 'for a short time the color of the flow changes from that of the natural 1 sap to that of the impregnating material, if this be of difierent color as in the case of dyeing material. This indicates that the sap has been drivenout of part or all of the standing portion of the tree and that the impregnating liquid has taken its place.

In uncut branches the sap also moves up according to the pressure on the impregnating liquid but the out-flow of sap is less than pregnation is less.

It has been proposed to dye the wood of a living tree by impregnation, a set of intersecting channels A being made in the trunk to insure equal coloring throughout the wood. This expedient is rendered unnecessary by the high artificial pressure employed in my process, it bein necessary only to provide a few holesor entrance of the liquid which forces its way into every vein of the'tree whether directly connected with the bored holes or not and impregnates the in the trunk and necessarily also the inrwhole cross section of the trunk uniformly;

the roots; The sap'of the tree below the point of injection of the impregnating 1i uid is forced down toward the roots whici have been shown experimentally to resist a pressure up to twelve atmospheres without allowing liquid to escape. The pressure of the sap is such that if the pressure on the im regnatingliquid is interrupted the sap will rise and force the saturation liquidout of the wounds of the tree until a pressure balance is obtained. It should be noted as,

" liquid after the pressure ceases (as by stop-i .ping the sttion of the pump) the trunk wi still absorb a further. argevquantity of liq- ,uid, probably through the expansion caused by the liquid retained in the stump. It has been shown that a trunk into which 150 ,liters of li have-been forced will thereafter absor a further quantity of50liters of impregnating liquid. This indicates that a tree contains considerable quantities of air compressed state in a part which are probablylocated, after the completion ofmy pregnating rocess, in a e trunk just below the entrance holes and in the roots. This may accountfor the subsequent absor tion of H uid.

y my met od the trunk of a treecan be.

fully and thoroughly aim regnated in a space of time "from one-half an hour to one hour, de ending on the kind of wood anddegree 0 ressure. The limit of pressure to be exerte on the liquid is dictated by the I power of the trunk to resist bursting pressure. In some cases a tree trunk has burst at 28 atmospheres. The time required for .com le'te im regnation is also de ndent on the eight 0 the trunksince at li e pressure taller trunks either longer time or hi'her pressure." i

y'the use of, my invention it is possible to secureall of the valuable sap of the tree and this is of im ortance in connection with I such trees as ru ber trees,'pine trees, Eu-

calypfus' trees, birch trees, etc. By cuttting.

ofi t e ends of the branches it is possible,

according. to my invention to secure the entire es. 111 the ace of a few minutes. This result ispartic arl valuable, for example,

' in the-case of rub r l which are'cut down when Atheiroutput begins to' fail. By

treating'.the.-.tree tomy method p all valuable iemainingsap may se which consists in interrupting t before the tree is cut down.

cured at once Having thus fully described In said indesire to ing until it is driedout whereby the liquid ;isrempved and the impregnatin material remains in all parts of the tree, su

as set forth. v

3. A method of impregnatingx living trees which consists in interrupting t e continuity of the bark, thereafter forcm impregnating liquid into the tree at suc pressure as to drive out the sap' at the points of inter-. ruption," and collecting .the sapthus forced out of the tree substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature; w

oAnL sonmrrnrz i stantially 

